Snoop Dogg the latest star to buy into the soccer club ownership game

Editor’s note: “Behind the News” is the product of Sun staff assisted by the Sun’s AI lab, which includes a variety of tools such as Anthropic’s Claude, Perplexity AI, Google Gemini and ChatGPT.

A growing cadre of American celebrities, athletes and investors have taken minority or majority stakes in European soccer clubs in recent years — a trend that has reshaped the global football landscape and raised the profiles of both investors and historic teams.

Notable American investments in soccer

Recent high-profile acquisitions:

• Snoop Dogg: Purchased a stake in Swansea City to become a minority co-owner last week (EFL Championship, England)
• Kevin Durant: Acquired a minority stake in Paris Saint-Germain (France’s Ligue 1) via his investment arm, Boardroom Sports Holdings, partnering with club owners Qatar Sports Investments. He serves as a strategic partner, planning to help PSG grow internationally and in the U.S. [1]
• Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds: Own Wrexham AFC (Wales/English leagues)[2]
• Others include: Stan Kroenke (Arsenal), Todd Boehly (Chelsea), the Glazer family (Manchester United), John Textor (Crystal Palace, Lyon), Wes Edens (Aston Villa), RedBird Capital (AC Milan, Toulouse FC), and Friedkin Group (AS Roma, recently announced plans for Everton) all control or own significant stakes in top-tier European clubs [3].

Why the surge in American interest?

Economic factors:

• Affordable entry points relative to U.S. sports: Many European clubs outside of the Premier League can be acquired or invested in for a fraction of a comparable NBA or NFL franchise, especially in smaller leagues or second divisions [4].
• Huge upside potential: European football holds global appeal, with enormous broadcast rights, merchandise sales and exposure to international markets. Promotion to higher leagues can yield outsize financial returns.

Cultural and market dynamics

• Cultural and content power: Hollywood’s storytelling expertise merges with football’s drama (as seen in Wrexham’s docuseries), opening opportunities for brands, streaming and content expansion [2].
• Soccer’s U.S. boom: With interest in soccer climbing among U.S. audiences — especially leading toward events like the World Cup 2026 — synergies between American owners and global soccer brands have never been greater [5].

Business rationale for European investment

• Revenue diversification: Owners tap into multiple revenue streams — TV rights, sponsorships, merchandise, ticketing, international tours and player trading.

• Brand globalization: Prominent American athletes or entertainers act as ambassadors, helping football brands grow in U.S. and other nontraditional markets.

• Operational expertise: U.S. investors often bring advanced data analytics, media strategies and commercial operations learned from major sports leagues to European clubs [6].

Growth prospects: Europe vs. US

European football clubs generally offer greater growth prospects compared with U.S. sports franchises for several key reasons:

Valuation and growth potential

• Undervalued assets: The total enterprise value of the top 32 European football clubs increased by 96% from 2016 to 2023, outpacing traditional financial indices like the FTSE 100[7]. This rapid appreciation reflects both the global appeal of soccer and the relative underdevelopment of commercial revenue streams compared with major U.S. leagues.
• Revenue and market cap gap: Although European football has a much larger global fan base than U.S. leagues (e.g., the NFL has 200 million fans versus European leagues’ 4 billion), the combined market capitalization of European clubs (about $30 billion) lags far behind the U.S. (NFL’s estimated $150 billion) [8]. This mismatch highlights substantial room for valuation and revenue growth in Europe.

Investment structure advantages

• Lower barriers to entry: For U.S. investors, buying into a European club is often less expensive than acquiring a U.S. franchise, allowing for potentially higher returns on investment [9].
• Operational control and flexibility: European leagues generally have fewer restrictions on ownership and allow for majority control, board seats and veto rights, especially by private equity [8]. U.S. leagues tend to restrict ownership structures and limit outside involvement to minority, noncontrolling stakes.
• Multi-club ownership (MCO) structures: Europe permits investors to own multiple clubs across different leagues and countries, creating synergies in player development, data sharing and club management. This structure is largely forbidden in the U.S. [8].

Risk factors

• Promotion and relegation: European football uses a merit-based promotion and relegation system — clubs can see large swings in revenue and valuation based on on-field performance. While this adds risk not found in the U.S.’s “closed league” model, it also means top-performing teams can realize much higher upside [8].
• Revenue volatility: A significant portion of European clubs’ broadcasting and sponsorship revenues is performance-based, making financial returns unpredictable — unlike in the U.S., where revenue sharing is more equitable and stable regardless of performance [8].
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The celebrity effect: Branding and marketing

Celebrity ownership can dramatically influence a football club’s branding and marketing:

Brand enhancement:

• Cultural relevance and coolness: Snoop Dogg’s brand embodies coolness, authenticity and a laid-back, approachable style. Brands that partner or associate with him often benefit from an instant injection of cultural capital — an association with modern, progressive values that appeal to broad and diverse demographics [10].
• Expanding reach and engagement: Snoop’s massive, cross-generational fan base brings global visibility. His partnerships routinely place brands before millions who might not otherwise engage with a soccer club [11].

Marketing advantages:

• Brand transformation and reinvention: Snoop’s transformation from controversial rapper to globally beloved media personality demonstrates a blueprint for brand reinvention. His authentic, consistent persona helps foster trust and relatability, traits that can humanize and modernize a club’s image [12].
• Viral marketing and media coverage: Snoop’s involvement is likely to generate viral moments and media attention. His partnerships tend to prompt social media trends, meme creation, and press coverage that money alone can’t buy [13].

Potential risks

• Brand dilution: There is a caveat — Snoop Dogg’s association with many brands can dilute uniqueness. When a celebrity widely endorses or partners with diverse brands, the distinct brand connection may weaken [14].
• Authenticity requirements: The most successful collaborations are those that align authentically — not just adopting the celebrity’s style but integrating their values and story with the club’s own identity [12].

As QSI Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi noted regarding Kevin Durant’s involvement: “Together with Kevin, we look forward to developing ambitious initiatives that will drive the continued global growth of Paris Saint-Germain and QSI.” [1]

Investing domestically

Tom Brady’s investment in the Las Vegas Raiders marks one of the highest-profile examples of a superstar athlete acquiring an ownership stake in a major American sports franchise. Brady officially became a limited (minority) partner in 2024 after NFL owners approved his investment, joining principal owner Mark Davis [15].

Brady’s role and impact

• Minority ownership and influence: Brady’s position is “limited partner,” which means he is not involved in day-to-day team operations or football decisions. He serves as a respected “sounding board” for ownership, the front office and coaching staff [16].
• Input on organizational moves: Reports indicate Brady has influenced major team decisions, such as the hiring of head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Spytek, and key player trades [17].
• Business partnerships: Brady’s presence has helped attract other prominent business figures as investors, positioning the Raiders as a more attractive destination for coaching and executive talent [17].

Why US leagues limit ownership models

• Parity and integrity: To avoid conflicts of interest, maintain competitive balance, and protect inside information, leagues like the NFL restrict how and by whom stakes are held [16].
• Long-term stability: The league-wide revenue-sharing model and franchise system are geared for collective prosperity, not rapid turnover.

Sources

[1] https://afrotech.com/kevin-durant-becomes-investor-in-paris-saint-germain

[2] https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/list-of-american-owned-soccer-clubs-in-europe-20230927-WST-458682.html

[3] https://gameplayer.substack.com/p/american-money-owns-european-footballget

[4] https://www.socialfootballsummit.com/en/why-americans-love-serie-a-foreign-ownership-in-european-football/

[5] https://internationalfinance.com/magazine/banking-and-finance-magazine/the-american-interest-in-european-football/

[6] https://theweek.com/sports/american-soccer-football-premier-league-owner

[7] https://www.cliffordchance.com/content/dam/cliffordchance/briefings/2023/06/us-private-equity-investments-in-european-football.pdf

[8] https://www.chronograph.pe/private-equity-sports-investing-in-north-america-vs-europe/

[9] https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/american-hunger-why-us-investors-love-investing-in-europe/

[10] https://www.decryptionmarketing.com/post/how-snoop-dogg-s-recent-sponsorship-success-helped-transcend-the-brand-marketing-landscape

[11] https://thejembe.com/how-snoop-dogg-became-a-marketing-powerhouse/

[12] https://fastercapital.com/articles/Snoop-Dogg-s-Impact-on-Brand-Partnerships--A-Comprehensive-Guide.html

[13] https://www.teamlewis.com/magazine/snoop-dogg-marketing-stunt/

[14] https://www.cmoalliance.com/insights-and-reflections-on-solo-stoves-snoop-dogg-campaign/

[15] https://www.marca.com/en/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/2025/06/29/686068f3ca4741277f8b45ce.html

[16] https://www.nfl.com/news/tom-brady-on-role-as-raiders-limited-partner-i-m-there-as-a-great-sounding-board

[17] https://www.si.com/nfl/raiders/las-vegas-birmingham-city-tom-brady-pete-carroll-john-spytek